This photo was taken on April 3, 2013, by the Terra Earth-observing satellite using ASTER, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer. This instrument sees visible light as well as in the infrared, including thermal infrared, emitted by hot objects (like, say, lava). Terra’s mission is to observe our planet and see how the climate is changing by examining how our different environments (land, water, ice, and air) interact with each other. It monitors air pollution in the form of aerosols and carbon monoxide, as well as a host of other services. It’s a wonderful mission.

When it took this amazing shot of Shiveluch, the wind was relatively calm, only blowing gently north. You can see the plume from Shiveluch as it reaches skyward; the white in it is from steam, the reddish-brown from volcanic gases. For scale, the image above is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) across. This region is pretty difficult for geologists and volcanologists to reach, so satellite images like this provide critical near-real-time data on activity in the area. If you love this stuff like I do, then you can also see what’s happening via the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team site, which provides updates on eruptions and seismic activity in the area.

And I do love this stuff. Science is cool. In this case, you could even say it rocks.

Phil Plait writes Slate’s Bad Astronomy blog and is an astronomer, public speaker, science evangelizer, and author of Death From the Skies!